Hear directly from our Fellows…

“I was honored to be asked to participate in the first cohort of Rekindle and I couldn't have had a more fulfilling experience. I highly recommend this program to future Fellows.” – Andrew Zelman

“Rekindle expanded my understanding of the Jewish community and helped pushed me to take a firmer stance on the oppression of all communities.” – Joe Black

“The Rekindle Fellowship has helped me challenge my thinking, shift my perspectives, and served as an inspiration to become more self-aware and understanding of others. I’m looking forward to transforming the knowledge gained and connections made into actionable ways to strengthen the synergy between the Black and Jewish communities.” – Fay Margareten

 “I walked into the first meeting with high expectations. I gained so much more than I expected and am grateful for the facilitators keeping us on task and focused. We were able to have some heave dialog and remained respectful to each other. The best growth moment for me is that we the Black and Jewish race have differences but so much more in common. I also grew with planning action. I don't want to only pull from the experiences from the 60s, I want to build on the foundation that was laid then. This fellowship is and does exactly what the name is! I am Rekindled!” – Tanya Byous

“The Rekindle Fellowship offered a rare opportunity to get an intimate, sometimes uncomfortable, look at how our Black and Jewish communities see each other and ourselves. It is clear that the similarities run deep and obvious that we are in unique positions to look out for each other. I am grateful for the friendships I made it through rekindle and hope to make a difference to bring our peoples closer together. It was truly a life-changing experience.” – Charlie Beer

“Participation in Rekindle helped me to refocus on why I care about social justice issues and helped re-engage my thinking around how I show up for racial justice. I got a lot out of the program and I think this is an important resource to help build relationships across communities.” – Carrie Miller

“Rekindle allowed me to connect with my Black and Jewish brothers and sisters in a way that’s really difficult to do as an adult in everyday life. We all get lost in the shuffle of our own lives and Rekindle gave me the structure I needed to make friends with other people who have the same goal of making our community stronger and more vibrant together. I adored every moment and look forward to all the growth we will bring to our communities going forward!” – Jeremy Umansky

“I deeply appreciated and enjoyed my experience as a Rekindle Fellow. I valued the opportunity to hear different perspectives from members of both the Black and Jewish communities. I have expanded my capacity to engage discussion and differing perspectives/opinions with curiosity, cultivated an even stronger appreciation of listening, and taking action as a part of a community. The Rekindle Fellowship challenges each fellow to take the step beyond dialogue into transformative action by tapping into each other as a resource and taking advantage of resources within the community. I am excited, honored, and humbled to have been selected.” – Jennifer Price Davis

 “I'm grateful for the opportunity to connect with amazing individuals who value working together to repair our world. The readings and honest discussions illuminated the connection between the Jewish and Black communities and our action plans developed during the Rekindle Fellowship empowered me to take concrete steps to strengthen these bonds.” – David Miller

 “The Rekindle Fellowship was curated with great thought and intentionality. It allowed us to have open and honest dialogues in a safe space. I gained more insight, appreciation and new relationships within both communities.” – Tanzalea Daniels

“This was fantastic and a great opportunity to dialogue with folks who I wouldn’t have otherwise met. I learned a lot about cross-cultural/racial differences and ways to bridge those differences.” – Phillip Rowland-Seymour

“This was an incredible experience, to be surrounded by a group of individuals who care deeply about the future of their community and the future of Cleveland. Everyone came into the group with an open mind and shared their thoughts with total honesty. I learned a lot from everyone and I am hopeful that we can accomplish great things for Cleveland as we continue to work together.” – Ali Stern

“My favorite aspect of the Rekindle Fellowship was just the opportunity itself -- to meet and dialogue with people of different backgrounds but similar values, people who want to bridge divides and foster relationships that will help make Cleveland (and the world) a better, more just, and more understanding place. So many of the people in the group, both Black AND Jewish, were individuals I never would've crossed paths with otherwise, and I am grateful for the opportunity to not only meet and connect with them but to go deep on serious, important topics that help us to better understand one another, ourselves, and our society at large.” – Kate Kaput

“The Rekindle Fellowship was an amazing opportunity to learn and engage in meaningful dialogue with people from two diverse cultures. Through readings, discussions, and more we discussed challenges and opportunities to work together to affect change. I’m excited to implement some of the projects we discussed.” – Justin Kadis

“It was great to meet with members of a community I usually have very little interaction with and to learn more about how the two communities were historically connected. It was also great to come up with ideas on how we can move forward together.  The readings and discussions allowed people to be open, honest, and vulnerable in a safe space. I believe what Rekindle is doing and what the Fellows can do together is on the doorstep of being historic in our region.” – Chris Smith

“I gained a new found respect and understanding of the Jewish community. Also my own communal awareness grew, and I’m looking forward to turning that knowledge into action.” – Dontravious Singleton

“My experience as a Rekindle Fellow was truly fulfilling and meaningful as a community-building and learning experience. I loved diving into difficult texts and ideas with people both from my own community and from other communities. I think it's vital for the long-term health and sustainability of our Jewish community that we continue to deepen connections and understanding between different racial, ethnic, and religious communities in Northeast Ohio.” – Ben Becker

“The best thing about this Fellowship was the opportunity to set aside intentional time to engage with people I otherwise would not have met and together to engage with this essential work of community building.” – Aviva Roland

“Rekindle was an opportunity to learn from a diverse group of people about the impacts of our divided communities. I think we all realize that we can work better together but cultural divides, stereotypes, ignorance, and indifference have created barriers that have kept us apart. I think this dialogue will help remove those barriers and move the communities back together. At least I am willing to try.” – Keshia Chambers